The present invention relates to magnetic flowmeters that sense flow of process fluid in industrial process plants.
Typical prior art magnetic flowmeters utilize an electrically insulated flow tube which carries a process fluid past an electromagnet and electrodes. The electrodes are carried in the flow tube and make electrical contact with the flowing liquid. The electrodes sense an electromotive force (EMF) which is magnetically induced in the fluid. The sensed EMF is proportional to the applied magnetic field and the flow rate according to Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Conduction.
The flow tube is typically carried in a large cylindrical body having flanged ends which is sometimes referred to as a “weldment.” The flanged ends of the weldment are bolted to similar flanges carried on process piping such that the flow tube is aligned in series with the process piping and the flow of process fluid flows through the flow tube. The weldment is expensive to manufacture and requires a significant amount of space to be installed between the two opposed ends of the process piping.